Academic Progress - Undergraduate

Academic Progress - Undergraduate

This Policy applies to both full-time and part time matriculated undergraduate students. A student is matriculated if he or she received official acceptance into Springfield College through the admissions process as a degree seeking student.

Good Academic Standing

Matriculated undergraduate students are considered to be in Good Academic Standing if they meet the minimum requirements for: 1) cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and 2) completion rate.  Students’ academic records are reviewed at the close of each full term (fall, spring, and summer). While all students are encouraged to aim for a high CGPA and a 100% completion rate, a series of graduated, minimum criteria must be met for Good Academic Standing.

Students who meet these criteria will be considered to be in Good Academic Standing. Students who do not meet these criteria will be placed on Academic Probation, Continued Academic Probation, or Academic Dismissal, as described below.

* First-time students (non-transfer), regardless of their credits attempted, who fall below a 1.800 CGPA but are at or above 1.650 CGPA, and/or fall below a 65.00% completion rate but are at or above 60%, are placed in the special category of Academic Warning. A student placed on Academic Warning will be considered to be in Good Academic Standing, but he or she must participate in the College’s Academic Progress Program.  The student must meet the standards for Good Academic Standing at the next review point, or he or she will be placed on Academic Probation.  Academic Warning will not be recorded on the student’s academic transcript.​

Academic Warning is also granted to students (non-transfer) who do not meet the completion rate after returning to the College from a leave of absence taken during their first-year. By definition, academic warning can only be granted once.

Notes on Good Academic Standing criteria:

• These are the minimum standards for the College. Academic departments may have higher standards for continuation in or, entrance into, their undergraduate programs.  Students are responsible for reviewing program standards and requirements in the official department, school, or institutional documents.

• Attempted credits are the total credits associated with accepted transfer courses and courses registered for through Springfield College.  

• Earned credits are credits graded Pass (including accepted transfer credits) and Springfield College courses graded A through D-.

• Completion rate is the percentage of earned credits to attempted credits.

• Failures (Fs), incompletes (Is, ICs, IEs, PIs), withdrawals (Ws), not reported (NRs), and credit pending grades (CPs) are considered attempted but not earned credits.

• Repeated courses are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned credits. Only the most recent grade will count in the cumulative GPA.  The original course counts in the completion rate as unearned. 

• Credit for pass/fail courses counts toward attempted hours for both the gpa and completion ratio. A grade of “P” (pass), will not affect a student’s GPA; however, a grade of “F” (fail) will affect the GPA. 

• Consortium courses count as attempted credits for both the gpa and completion ratio.

• Courses with a grade of WC do not account as attempted courses for either the gpa and completion ratio.

Academic Probation

An undergraduate student who fails to meet either of the standards for Good Academic Standing is placed on Academic Probation. A student who is placed on Academic Probation will:

• Maintain matriculation status.

• Only be eligible for financial aid if he or she is granted Financial Aid Probation through the Office of Financial Aid.

• Be required to participate in the College’s Academic Progress Program.

• Be subject to other restrictions or requirements established by the Academic Affairs division, Student Affairs division, or other campus offices or programs.

• Be considered ineligible for participation in intercollegiate athletic teams sponsored by the Athletics Department (per NCAA regulations).

• Maintain his or her Academic Probation status if he or she takes a leave of absence.

• Have his or her Academic Probation status noted on his or her academic transcript. (Note:  A student who meets grade point average but fails to meet completion rate, will only have the academic status noted on his or her unofficial transcript.)

An undergraduate student will be removed from Academic Probation when he or she meets both criteria for Good Academic Standing. Failure to meet this criteria, or the criteria for Continued Academic Probation, will result in Academic Dismissal. When an undergraduate student is removed from Academic Probation, it will be noted on the transcript.

Continued Academic Probation

If an undergraduate student who was on Academic Probation does not meet either of the criteria for Good Academic Standing at the next review, but has shown significant improvement in his or her semester performance, he or she will be placed on Continued Academic Probation. Significant improvement is generally defined as a student:

• Earning a semester GPA of at least 2.000, and

• Achieving a semester completion rate of at least 75%. 

If placed on Continued Academic probation, the student will be subject to the conditions specified under Academic Probation. Continued Academic Probation will be recorded on the student’s academic transcript.

Academic Dismssal

An undergraduate student who is on Academic Probation or Continued Academic Probation and does not meet the criteria for Continued Academic Probation at the next review point will be Academically Dismissed. Academic Dismissal will be recorded on the student’s transcript. A dismissed student may apply for re-admission to the College after a minimum of two full terms away (e.g., spring and fall).  A student who is officially re-admitted will return on Academic Probation unless he or she now meets the criteria as a result of coursework transferred from another accredited institution.

Academic Dismissal Appeal Process

A student who has been academically dismissed from the College may appeal the dismissal to the Undergraduate Appeals Committee by submitting a written request for a hearing to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. The timeline and requirements for the appeal will be specified in the letter of notification of dismissal. The Undergraduate Appeals Committee will review the appeal. If the committee recommends that the appeal be supported, the student will be allowed to return on Continued Academic Probation. He or she will be required to adhere to all conditions of that probation.